The problem is not a lack of tech, it’s a lack of users.
The core challenge is not a lack of technological sophistication; it’s a lack of users. The solution lies in a strategic focus on adoption, enabling the full computational power of sound money
The chicken needs to come before the egg; better foundations have to be laid for the users to come. I was part of a pioneering DAO that now barely ranks among the top 500 networks as of today. Why? The head start on technology didn’t matter because the value was purely technical to the end user, lacking a simple, integrated use case that made it practical for daily use
DAOs and crypto applications often require a high degree of technical understanding (wallets, seed phrases, gas fees, complex governance) to participate. This creates immense friction. The average user just wants a simple, useful product.
Failure to Leverage Network Effects
A project needs a compelling, low-friction entry point, such as basic transactions in a familiar interface, to start a mainstream onboarding movement. A DAO’s success relies on network effects, which never materialize if the initial utility isn’t strong enough to make users want to bring in their friends. If a Network value is purely technical, without an everyday integrated use case, mainstream users will continue to stay away.
Money as the Ultimate Computation Engine: Economic Calculation
Money is the purest and highest form of communication. But it is also the most powerful computation engine possible, because money leverages through the network effect every person who uses it to make economic decisions. And we maintain that this computational force of money can not be matched by any quantum computer or AI or smart contracts, or all of the above combined, not now or ever.
To illustrate this, a simple formula to help explain: A single person’s mind possesses an estimated 1 exaflop of processing power using 20 watts of power. The network effect through money allows for this to become 2^(NumberOfPeopleUsingTheMoney) * 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 operations per second.
Now, this computation force of money doesn’t perform floating-point math. It calculates price as determined by the free market, and that is how the parallel processing of all the people’s minds is connected through the money-price mechanism.
The above section might seem a bit convoluted, so to simplify
This is something, I believe, that few people understand, and it is this processing and computation force that most Austrian economics alludes to when describing why socialism and communism will fail due to the inability to use economic calculation. But this also includes that once money becomes corrupted, in the sense of fiat money and the Cantillon effect, this computational force is also compromised**. Nervos has the opportunity to become a medium that can harness the full computational force of money. Through decentralization,** that is enough tech to bring people in, you send, and I receive quickly and safely. That is good enough. Let’s not miss the forest for the trees.
Money for Everyone
I’m not trying to be mysterious or abstract about money. A 5-year-old would define it: “Money is what you use to buy stuff with.” That’s what Nervos already is: money for everyone. What’s left for mainstream users is Nervos money in a way that feels ordinary, intuitive, and frictionless. Users shouldn’t even need to know they’re using crypto—they’re just using money.
That is why Nervos needs to build for all. To deliver something for everyone. I hope that users of Build Money apps/initiatives don’t even know they are using crypto, and they only see it as money, because that is exactly what it is and should be at its foundational level. Our aim is to build the lowest-friction on-ramp infrastructure to connect people to the broader Nervos ecosystem. Once comfortable with basic transactions in WhatsApp, they will naturally progress to other functionalities.
If Nervos fully becomes currency, it will naturally develop an economy around itself. This economy can grow into a culture, a new way of life for those who choose to use it. This is why I want to build experiences so easy and persuasive that anyone can say:
“Have you tried Nervos? All you need is a name.”
Then they go to Chatpay and get started. Simple, intuitive, and powerful.